Method and apparatus for data transmission via capacitance sensing device

ABSTRACT

Embodiments described herein provide methods, devices, and systems for a touch sensor, or capacitive sensing device, interact with external objects. One method utilizes a capacitive profile on the external object. Another method involves the use of a capacitive sensor array for wireless communication.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the priority benefits of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/602,480, filed Feb. 23, 2012, which is incorporated herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to the field of touch sensors and, in particular, to capacitive sensors.

BACKGROUND

Recent developments in touch sensors have begun to add processing of signal data to attempt to identify objects. Examples of this include the addition of large object detection, stylus operation, fat finger detection, and grip suppression. However, these methods only identify a generic class of object and can not distinguish between particular objects in the class. For example, a finger can not be distinguished from a metal slug, and all large objects are reported using a single flag, and any associated positional information is typically ignored.

Current touch sensors do allow for general user interaction involving location detection of general objects. However, the user is aware of which particular object is on the screen. When the touch sensor is not capable of identifying the particular object, information that could provide the user a richer user experience is ignored.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure is illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a simplified cross-sectional view of the touch sensor device system according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of an embodiment of a touch sensor array;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a capacitive profile of an object according to an embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a capacitive profile of an object according to another embodiment;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are plan views of high capacitance regions of capacitive profiles according to various embodiments;

FIG. 7 is a cross-section view of a capacitive structure according to an embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a cross-section view of a capacitive structure according to another embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a flow chart of a method for operating a capacitance sensing device according to an embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a simplified cross-sectional view of the touch sensor device system according to another embodiment

FIG. 11 is a simplified block diagram of the touch sensor device system of FIG. 10; and

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of an electronic system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference in the description to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The phrase “in one embodiment” located in various places in this description does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment.

In the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the subject matter of the present application. It will be evident, however, to one skilled in the art that the disclosed embodiments, the claimed subject matter, and their equivalents may be practiced without these specific details.

The detailed description includes references to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the detailed description. The drawings show illustrations in accordance with exemplary embodiments. These embodiments, which may also be referred to herein as “examples,” are described in enough detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments of the claimed subject matter described herein. The embodiments may be combined, other embodiments may be utilized, or structural, logical, and electrical changes may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the claimed subject matter. It should be understood that the embodiments described herein are not intended to limit the scope of the subject matter but rather to enable one skilled in the art to practice, make, and/or use the subject matter.

Embodiments of the present invention provide methods for a touch sensor, or capacitive sensing device, to identify and interact with a particular real world object. Two methods are disclosed—one using a capacitive profile for identification and the other using the touch sensor array traces for wireless communication.

FIG. 1 is a simplified view of a touch sensor (or capacitance sensing) system 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The system 10 includes a capacitance sensing (or touch sensor) device 12 and an external (i.e., “real world”) object 14.

In one embodiment, the touch sensor device 12 is a “touchscreen” device that has a central, visible area and an outer, non-visible area. The touch sensor device 12 includes a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel 16 arranged below a touch sensor assembly 18. As is commonly understood, the visible area may correspond to the size and shape of a transparent region of the touch sensor assembly 18, while the non-visible area may correspond to a non-transparent region of the touch sensor assembly 18 which may be covered by a casing (not shown). The touch sensor assembly 18 includes an overlay (or protective layer) 20 attached to a side thereof opposite the LCD panel 16.

FIG. 2 illustrates a capacitive senor array 22 on the capacitive touch sensor assembly 18 in FIG. 1, according to one embodiment of the present invention. The capacitive sensor array 22 includes a plurality of column sensor elements (or electrodes) 24 and a plurality of row sensor elements 26, which may be formed on a substrate. The substrate may be made of an electrically insulating material with high optical transmissivity, such as glass, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), or a combination thereof.

Still referring to FIG. 2, the column sensor elements 24 are arranged in multiple columns 28, and the row sensor elements 26 are arranged in multiple rows 30. As shown, the columns 28 and the rows 30 are arranged such that the column sensor elements 24 are positioned within spaces or gaps between the adjacent row sensor elements 30, and vice versa. Although not specifically shown, the column sensor elements 24 and the row sensor elements 30 are, in at least one embodiment, substantially coplanar and formed on a substrate, or between two substrates. When used in a mutual capacitance sensing device, the column sensor elements 24 may be used as transmit electrodes (TX), and the row sensor elements 26 may be used as receive electrodes (RX), as is commonly understood.

In the depicted embodiment, the individual sensor elements 24 and 26, are configured as substantially diamond-shaped polygons of an optically transmissive conductive material. Any material known to be transmissive over at least a portion of the wavelength band emitted by the display to be paired with the sensor array 22 may be employed for the sensor elements. In one embodiment, individual sensor elements are formed of an optically transmissive conductive material, such as, but not limited to indium tin oxide (ITO), poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly (styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT-PSS), carbon nanotubes, conductive ink, a metallic mesh, or graphite/graphene and the like.

The column sensor elements 24 are interconnected by column interconnects 32, which may be made of the same material as the sensor elements 24 and 26. The row sensor elements 26 are interconnected by row interconnects 34, which may includes “jumpers,” as commonly understood, to extend over the column interconnects 32, between adjacent column sensor elements 24.

In general, the capacitive sensor array 22 is operated by providing a signal to one of the columns 28 of column sensor elements 24 (i.e., TX electrodes) while grounding the other column sensor 24. Signals are generated in the row sensor elements 26 (i.e., RX electrodes) by electrical coupling of the driven column sensor elements 24 to the row sensor elements 26. The signal induced in the row sensor elements 26 may change due to the presence of an object (e.g., a finger) on, or near, that portion of the sensor array 22. The signal change in the row sensor elements 26 is indicative of change in the capacitance between the row sensor elements 26 and the driven column sensor elements 24 (i.e., “mutual capacitance”). This process is continuously repeated for each of the columns 28 of column sensor elements 24.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, an object (e.g., object 14 in FIG. 1) with a particular capacitive profile, or signature, is placed in proximity to the sensor array 22. The particular layout or design of the capacitive profile is used to, for example, transfer data (or communicate) with the capacitance sensing device 12 (FIG. 1).

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary capacitive profile 36 of the object 14 in FIG. 1. The description of the capacitive profile 36 below refers to portions or regions of the object 14 that have relatively high capacitance values and those that have relatively low capacitance values. However, it should be noted that FIG. 3 may also be understood to illustrates the capacitance profile 36 of the object 14 as it is detected by the sensor array 22. That is, FIG. 3 may be understood to illustrate either a side of the object 14 facing the capacitance sensing device 12 and/or an arrangement of signals generated by the sensor array 22 in response to the object 14 being placed proximate to the capacitance sensing device 12 (and/or the sensor array 22).

Still referring to FIG. 3, the capacitive profile 36 includes an arrangement of first (or high) capacitance portions (or regions) 38 and second (or low) capacitance portions 40. In the depicted embodiment, the first capacitance portions 38 include a relative large portion 38 a in the shape of an “L” with members extending along the top and left edges (as oriented in FIG. 3) of the capacitive profile 36. Portion 38 a is one example of a fiducial element of the capacitive profile 36 which may be used to allow a capacitance sensing device to establish the size and orientation of the profile being sensed.

The first capacitance portions 38 also include smaller portions 38 b, which in the depicted embodiment take the form of various geometric shapes and/or symbols. As shown, some of the portions 38 b are shaded to indicate a contiguous area with relatively high capacitance values, while others are shown only as outlines of the particular shapes to indicate “hollow” portions of relatively high capacitance values.

As such, the first capacitance portions 38 form various shapes and symbols of relatively high capacitance portions on the object 14, which are separated by lower capacitance portions (second capacitance portions 40). In particular, it should be noted that in various locations within the capacitance profile 36, one of the second capacitance portions 40 is positioned immediately between two of the first capacitance portions 38. This spatial relationship between the first capacitance portions 38 and the second capacitance portions 40 may exist along both the x-axis and the y-axis of the object, as shown by the exemplary orientation of the object 14 in FIG. 3, such that the capacitive profile is two-dimensional (or 2-D). More particularly, in at least some embodiments, at least one of the second capacitance portions 40 is positioned between two of the first capacitance portions 38 along a first axis (e.g., the x-axis), while at least one of the second capacitance portions 40 is positioned between two of the first capacitance portions 38 along a second axis that is perpendicular to the first axis (e.g., the y-axis). It should be noted how such an arrangement differs from the capacitance profile which may be presented by a typical object, such as a finger or stylus, which takes the shape of a single, integral region or signal.

In one embodiment of the invention, the shape, size, orientation and/or location of the shapes relative to each other, or to a fiducial element, may be used to encode data. In one embodiment, a number of bits may be encoded in the shape, size and/or orientation of a set of predefined shapes, and a number of bit fields established relative to fiducials. In the example illustrated in FIG. 3, nine shapes (formed by the first capacitance portions 38 b) shown may correspond to nine bit fields of encoded data, and sixteen different shape/orientation combinations possible within a given region may allow four bits of data to be encoded. In such an embodiment, a total of 36 bits may be encoded. As will be apparent one skilled in the art, many alternative fiducial patterns and predetermined shapes, sizes and orientations and/or numbers of regions may be used to encode data.

In one embodiment, the encoded data may be used merely to identify the object placed on or close to the sensor. In another example, the patterns may be used to communicate information to the device incorporating the touch sensor. In a further example, the data encoded may be used to identify the user or the device, acting in place of a password. In another implementation, the data encoded may be used to initiate a particular function or service.

FIG. 4 illustrates a capacitive profile 36 of the object 14 according to another embodiment of the present invention. Of particular interest in FIG. 4 is that the smaller high capacitance portions 38 b are arranged to form a pattern of lines, as opposed to the geometric shapes and/or symbols shown in FIG. 3. As in FIG. 3, data may be encoded in the pattern via the presence or absence of a high capacitance link between second capacitance portions 40. In the example illustrated, there are twelve horizontal and twelve vertical boundaries between portions 40, and thus 24 bits of data may be directly encoded in the pattern. FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate further examples of the high capacitance portions 38 b in other shapes and arrangements.

FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate cross-sections of structures that may be used to form the capacitive profile(s) 36 described above within the object 14. Referring to FIG. 7, a structure 46 is illustrated that includes a conductive substrate (or layer) (e.g., metal) 48 and an alternating series of high-K bodies 50 and low-K bodies 52 coupled to a lower side of the conductive substrate 48. As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the high-K bodies 50 may correspond to the first capacitance portions 38 of the capacitive profiles 36, while the low-K bodies 52 may correspond to the second capacitance portions 40 of the capacitive profiles 36. As such, FIG. 7 (and FIG. 8) may be considered to be cross-sectional views of the object 14 as it is shown in FIG. 1.

It will also be appreciated that the structure 46 may be arranged to form the 2-D capacitive profiles 36 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, as well as one-dimensional (1-D) and even three-dimensional (3-D) profiles. In an exemplary 3-D profile, the third dimension may correspond to variations in the capacitance values of the first capacitance portions 38 (e.g., the first capacitance portions 38 may include varying degrees of high capacitance portions, such that some of the first capacitance portions 38 have higher capacitance values than others.) It should also be understood that the capacitive profile 36 may be further tuned by adjusting the physical dimensions of the high and low-K bodies 50 and 52, such as the widths 54 thereof.

FIG. 8 illustrates a capacitive structure 56 according to another embodiment. The structure 56 includes a conductive substrate 58, an insulating material 60, and a series of conductive members 62. As shown, the insulating material 60 separates the conductive substrate 58 from the conductive members 62 and separates each of conductive members 62 from the adjacent conductive members 62. As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the conductive members 62 may correspond to the first capacitance portions 38 of the capacitive profiles 36, while the portions of the insulating material 60 between adjacent conductive members 62 may correspond to the second capacitance portions 40 of the capacitive profiles 36. As with the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the capacitance profile created by the structure 56 shown in FIG. 8 may be altered by adjusting the dimensions, such at the widths 64, of the conductive members 62 (thus altering the resistance applied by each conductive member 62).

It should be noted that the embodiments shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 may each rely on a path to earth ground created by the user holding the metal plate to secure the object in proximity to the capacitance sensing device 12.

In operation, when the object 14 is positioned proximate to the capacitance sensing device 12 (and/or the sensor array 22), the capacitive profile 36 (e.g., as shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 4) is detected by the sensor array 22 is scanned (e.g., by a processing device or controller). In particular, the particular shapes, symbols, and/or patterns formed by the high capacitance portions 38 (and/or portions 38 b) may be detected and recognized (e.g., by a processing device) as being associated with data (which may in turn be associated with the particular object 14). In one embodiment, the data is stored in a look-up stored in a memory within the capacitance sensing device 10. In another embodiment, the data may be encoded in the shapes, symbols, and/or patterns within the capacitive profile 36. In such an embodiment, the data may be decoded within the capacitance sensing device 12 using, for example, an unlock or decryption key (e.g., by a processing device).

As an example of the type of data that could be associated with the object, a capacitance sensing device may identify a particular token object before allowing the phone to unlock. For example, the code from an RSA security token could be transmitted directly into a system through the touchscreen. As another example, game pieces on a touchscreen gameboard could react to placement on the gameboard using lights, vibration or other methods of signaling a user of an event. In another example, the data may be used to assist in pairing devices for wireless communication, such as when pairing Bluetooth devices. However, it may also be applicable to Wi-Fi, ZigBee or other wireless communication networks or systems.

In one embodiment, the scanning of the sensor array 22 (FIG. 2) may be performed in multiple stages, or steps. An embodiment of such a method 66 is depicted in FIG. 9. The method 66 begins at step 68 with a basic (i.e., low resolution) scan being performed of the entire sensor array 22 (or a first portion of the sensor array 22). Data processing is performed at step 70 to determine if a suitable object (e.g., one with a capacitive profile such as described above) is in proximity with the sensor array 22. If no such object is detected, at step 72, the method 66 returns to step 66.

In one embodiment, the presence of a relatively large high capacitance portion with a particular shape (e.g., portion 38 a in FIG. 3) may lead to a determination that an object with a capacitive profile has been detected. Is such an object is detected, the method 66 proceeds to step 74.

At step 74, a second scan of the sensor array 22 is performed. In one embodiment, the second scan is performed at a second, higher resolution than the first scan, which may allow for more complex capacitive profiles to be used. The second scan may also be performed on only a second portion of the sensor array 22. For example, with reference to FIG. 3, the first scan (step 68) may be performed over the entire sensor array 22 and/or the entire capacitive profile 36. However, the second scan (step 74) may be performed on only the portion of the sensor array 22 that corresponds to those portions of the capacitive profile 36 that include portions 38 b (i.e., and not portion 38 a). Thus, the second scan may be performed on a portion of the sensor array 22 which is smaller, and may overlap, the portion of the sensor array 22 scanned in the first scan.

At step 76, data processing (e.g., high resolution) is performed, which includes determining the data associated with the capacitive profile 36 and/or the object 14, as described above.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the sensor array 22 is used to exchange data with the object 14 via capacitive coupling. More particularly, the sensor array 22 may be used to communicate data encoded on a carrier signal via capacitance coupling between the sensor array and another device. In one embodiment, serial data may be communicated to the object and/or received from the object using as Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter (UART). In one implementation, the UART data may be modulated on a carrier; in another implementation, the UART data may be communicated directly.

In such an embodiment, a processing device or a controller coupled to the sensor array 22 may be configured to provide modulated signals to the sensor electrodes 24 and/or 26 such that the data (e.g., in the form of modulated signals) is transmitted from the sensor array 22. Likewise, the processing device may be configured to demodulate signals received from the sensor array 22 as caused by the electrodes 24 and/or 26 capacitatively coupling signals emitted from the object 14.

In one application, both the capacitance sensing device and the device it is communicating with may share a common electrical ground—for example, if the user is holding both devices. In this case, the touchscreen, for example, may be used to form a single plate of a single capacitor to communicate data via capacitatively coupled signals between the touchscreen device and another device. In another application, the two devices may be electrically isolated from each other (other than via the capacitative coupling), and in this case, a return signal path may be required. In one implementation, interleaved, alternating rows or columns of the touchscreen may be connected together to form a pair of capacitor plates and couple with a corresponding pair or set of plates on the other device. In such an embodiment, a differential signal may be transmitted via the pair of capacitors thus formed between the two devices.

With reference now to FIG. 10, in such an embodiment, the object 14 within a system 10 otherwise similar to that shown in FIG. 1 may have a transceiver (XCVR) (or just a transmitter or just a receiver) 78 embedded therein. As such, the object 14 may be device configured for communication, and in some embodiments, the object 14 may even take the form of another capacitance sensing device (or a device that includes a capacitance sensing device).

FIG. 11 is a simplified block diagram of a system similar to that shown in FIG. 10. As shown in FIG. 11, the capacitance sensing device 12 includes a touch sensor pad (e.g., the touch sensor assembly) 18 and a controller 80, while the object 14 includes a communications interface 82 and a microcontroller (MCU) 84 (e.g., including the XCVR). Within the capacitance sensing device 12, touch sensor signals 86 and communications signals 88 are sent between the touch sensor pad 18 and the controller 80. In one embodiment, the touch sensor signals 86 and the communications signals 88 are sent using the same physical connections. Within the object 14, communications signals 90 are sent between the MCU 84 and the communications interface 82. In one embodiment, the communications interface 82 may include one or more capacitors.

A device-object interface 90, through which the data described herein is sent, may be formed by the capacitance sensing device 12 and the object 14 being in contact or simply within close proximity (e.g., a few centimeters). More particularly, in one embodiment, the device-object interface 90 may include a capacitor that jointly is formed by the capacitance sensing device 12 and the object 14. This capacitor may include a first conductor (or plate) formed by the touch sensor pad 18, a second conductor formed by a conductive portion of the communications interface 82, and an insulating material between the first and second conductors formed by the overlay 20 (e.g., glass), air, and/or a housing of the capacitance sensing device 12.

Examples of the processes that could be implemented using the sensor array 22 in such a way include, but are not limited to, device authentication/password transfers, mobile payments, access control, electronic business card transfers, or other applications which may utilize near field communication (NFC).

In one application of this aspect of the invention, user identification information may be communicated in this way. In one particular embodiment, the touchscreen device (i.e., the capacitance sensing device) may be used in place of an radio-frequency identification (RFID) or NFC identification badge to authenticate a user to unlock a door or identify the user to some other access control system. The access control system may support multiple communication types including but not limited to RFID and NFC, so that the same access control receiver may be used to provide access to users of RFID cards, NFC-enabled devices, and other suitably configured touchscreen devices.

In another application, this aspect of the invention may be used to authenticate a wireless device attempting to join a wireless network such as but not limited to a Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or Zigbee network.

In another application of this aspect of the invention, the touchscreen device may be used to identify the user of the touchscreen device to an automobile—for example to allow stored settings to be retrieved (e.g., controlling seat position, mirror angle, in-car entertainment system settings, etc.).

In another application, this aspect of the invention may be used to implement the communications channel of an “electronic wallet” in an equivalent way as is currently implemented using NFC for ePayment systems.

Utilizing the sensor array in such a manner may require the object and the scanning system of the capacitance sensing device 12 to work together, sharing the time-sensitive and critical resource of the sensor array 22. Several methods for sending data on the shared resource (i.e., the sensor array 22) without conflicts are described below.

A first method involves transmission to the hardware to occur while the processor is processing data from the previous scan. A second method involves a communication interface between the two modules. If the modules are on separate silicon, a physical interface may be needed. If all modules are collocated in a single chip, then each method simply has to block execution until critical resource use has been completed.

A third method involves the use of a capacitive profile, along with the transceiver 78, on the object 14 to signal the device 12 that the object 14 includes a transceiver. As such, in one embodiment, the detection of a particular capacitive profile initiates the wireless communication between the device 12 and the object 14.

Regardless of the method chosen for the device side module, the object may require intelligence when deciding when to scan. The object may glean information about scan rate, by observing multiple scans and timing between them. There may be a protocol regarding the time slice inside of the main loop execution available for the real world object to transmit without appearing to be a TX sensor line. Such protocols will be well known to those skilled in the art, and may include, but are not limited to RS232, RS485, Hayes Modem command protocols, etc.

Once an object can identify and communicate with a real world object an entire world of new user experiences may be enabled. The ability of the objects to communicate allows for a host to create haptics interactions outside the actual frame of the device. For example, a real-world gamepiece may vibrate when certain game conditions occur, or two devices could synchronize for precision timing of events. When meeting a new business contact, a user may transmit a business card, and receive the business card of the contact, by simply touching cell phones together.

The capacitive profile method presented here is used because that is the current best-in-class technology for touchscreen sensing. However, the same idea of sensed profiles and serial communication may apply to any sensing method, using any conductive material. The profile and communication theory may extend to non-conductive sensing methods as well. If the sensing method instead used images to detect objects, this could be modified using, for example, LED's to enable a communication channel between real world objects and the controller.

In other embodiments, different materials may be used to form the electrodes, such as copper, aluminum, silver, or any suitable conductive material that may be appropriately patterned. Furthermore, an FPC may be used to form the electrodes. In such an embodiment, the various conductive layers in the FPC may be appropriately configured to form the array of electrodes as described above, as well as to form the primary traces. As such, it should be understood that the electrodes, the traces, and the insulating material (or body) may all be formed by a single, appropriately configured FPC. As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, such embodiments may be particularly applicable to non-transparent devices, such as mouse pads, track pads, touch pads, etc. Additionally, in other embodiments, the substrate may be made of other materials, such as any suitable plastic, including vinyl and polyamide, which may not be transparent, depending on the particular device.

In another embodiment, the sensor may be formed by bonding a glass (or other transparent insulating) lens onto another glass with the sensor pattern disposed on. In yet another embodiment, the sensor may be formed by bonding glass (or other transparent insulating material) onto a sheet of PET containing the sensor pattern.

FIG. 12 illustrates a block diagram of one embodiment of an electronic system having a processing device for detecting a presence of a conductive object, and performing the other methods and processes described above, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The electronic system 100 includes a processing device 110, a touch-sensor pad 120, a touch-sensor slider 130, touch-sensor buttons 140, a host processor 150, an embedded controller 160, and non-capacitance sensor elements 170. The processing device 110 may include analog and/or digital general purpose input/output (“GPIO”) ports 107. The GPIO ports 107 may be programmable and may be coupled to a Programmable Interconnect and Logic (“PIL”), which acts as an interconnect between the GPIO ports 107 and a digital block array of the processing device 110. The processing device 110 may also include memory, such as random access memory (“RAM”) 105 and program flash 104. The RAM 105 may be static RAM (“SRAM”), and the program flash 104 may be a non-volatile storage, which may be used to store firmware (e.g., control algorithms executable by processing core 102 to implement operations described herein). The processing device 110 may also include a memory controller unit (“MCU”) 103 coupled to memory and the processing core 102.

The processing device 110 may also include one or more analog blocks array coupled to the system bus. The analog blocks array also may be configured to implement a variety of analog circuits (e.g., ADCs, DACs, analog filters, etc.). The analog block array may also be coupled to the GPIO 107.

As illustrated, the capacitance sensing circuit 101 may be integrated into the processing device 110. The capacitance sensing circuit 101 may include analog I/O for coupling to an external component, such as the touch-sensor pad 120, the touch-sensor slider 130, the touch-sensor buttons 140, and/or other devices. The capacitance sensing circuit 101 and the processing device 110 are described in more detail below.

The embodiments described herein are not limited to touch-sensor pads for notebook implementations, but can be used in other capacitive sensing implementations, for example, the sensing device may be a touchscreen (or touch screen), a touch-sensor slider 130, or touch-sensor buttons 140 (e.g., capacitance sensing buttons). In one embodiment, these sensing devices may include one or more capacitive sensors. The operations described herein are not limited to tablet computers, smartphones, touchscreen phone handsets, mobile internet devices (MIDs), GPS navigation devices, electronic books, notebook pointer operations, but can include other operations, such as lighting control (dimmer), volume control, graphic equalizer control, speed control, or other control operations requiring gradual or discrete adjustments. It should also be noted that these embodiments of capacitive sensing implementations may be used in conjunction with non-capacitive sensing elements, including but not limited to pick buttons, sliders (ex. display brightness and contrast), scroll-wheels, multi-media control (ex. volume, track advance, etc) handwriting recognition and numeric keypad operation.

In one embodiment, the electronic system 100 includes a touch-sensor pad 120 coupled to the processing device 110 via bus 121. The touch-sensor pad 120 may include a multi-dimension sensor array. The multi-dimension sensor array includes multiple sensor elements, organized as rows and columns, such as the sensor arrays described above and shown in, for example, FIG. 2. In another embodiment, the electronic system 100 includes a touch-sensor slider 130 coupled to the processing device 110 via bus 131. The touch-sensor slider 130 may include a single-dimension sensor array. The single-dimension sensor array includes multiple sensor elements, organized as rows, or alternatively, as columns. In another embodiment, the electronic system 100 includes touch-sensor buttons 140 coupled to the processing device 110 via bus 141. The touch-sensor buttons 140 may include a single-dimension or multi-dimension sensor array. The single- or multi-dimension sensor array may include multiple sensor elements. For a touch-sensor button, the sensor elements may be coupled together to detect a presence of a conductive object over the entire surface of the sensing device. Alternatively, the touch-sensor buttons 140 may have a single sensor element to detect the presence of the conductive object. In one embodiment, the touch-sensor buttons 140 may include a capacitive sensor element. The capacitive sensor elements may be used as non-contact sensor elements. These sensor elements, when protected by an insulating layer, offer resistance to severe environments.

The electronic system 100 may include any combination of one or more of the touch-sensor pad 120, the touch-sensor slider 130, and/or the touch-sensor button 140. In another embodiment, the electronic system 100 may also include non-capacitance sensor elements 170 coupled to the processing device 110 via bus 171. The non-capacitance sensor elements 170 may include buttons, light emitting diodes (“LEDs”), and other user interface devices, such as a mouse, a keyboard, or other functional keys that do not require capacitance sensing. In one embodiment, buses 171, 141, 131, and 121 may be a single bus. Alternatively, these buses may be configured into any combination of one or more separate buses.

The processing device 110 may include internal oscillator/clocks 106 and a communication block (“COM”) 108. The oscillator/clocks 106 provides clock signals to one or more of the components of the processing device 110. The communication block 108 may be used to communicate with an external component, such as a host processor (or host) 150, via host interface (“I/F”) line 151, using signaling protocols such as, but not limited to I2C, SPI or USB. Alternatively, the processing block 110 may also be coupled to embedded controller 160 to communicate with the external components, such as host 150. In one embodiment, the processing device 110 is configured to communicate with the embedded controller 160 or the host 150 to send and/or receive data.

The processing device 110 may reside on a common carrier substrate such as, for example, an integrated circuit (“IC”) die substrate, a multi-chip module substrate, or the like. Alternatively, the components of the processing device 110 may be one or more separate integrated circuits and/or discrete components. In one exemplary embodiment, the processing device 110 may be a Programmable System on a Chip (“PSoC™”) processing device, manufactured by Cypress Semiconductor Corporation, San Jose, Calif. Alternatively, the processing device 110 may be one or more other processing devices known by those of ordinary skill in the art, such as a microcontroller, a microprocessor or central processing unit, a controller, a special-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (“DSP”), an application specific integrated circuit (“ASIC”), a field programmable gate array (“FPGA”), or the like.

It should also be noted that the embodiments described herein are not limited to having a configuration of a processing device coupled to a host, but may include a system that measures the capacitance on the sensing device and sends the raw data to a host computer where it is analyzed by an application. In effect the processing that is done by processing device 110 may also be done in the host.

The capacitance sensing circuit 101 may be integrated into the IC of the processing device 110, or alternatively, in a separate IC. Alternatively, descriptions of the capacitance sensing circuit 101 may be generated and compiled for incorporation into other integrated circuits. For example, behavioral level code describing the capacitance sensing circuit 101, or portions thereof, may be generated using a hardware descriptive language, such as VHDL or Verilog, and stored to a machine-accessible medium (e.g., CD-ROM, hard disk, floppy disk, etc.). Furthermore, the behavioral level code can be compiled into register transfer level (“RTL”) code, a netlist, or even a circuit layout and stored to a machine-accessible medium. The behavioral level code, the RTL code, the netlist, and the circuit layout all represent various levels of abstraction to describe the capacitance sensing circuit 101.

It should be noted that the components of the electronic system 100 may include all the components described above. Alternatively, the electronic system 100 may include only some of the components described above.

In one embodiment, the electronic system 100 may be used in a notebook computer. Alternatively, the electronic system 100 may be used in other applications, such as a mobile handset, a personal data assistant (“PDA”), a keyboard, a television, a remote control, a monitor, a handheld multi-media device, a handheld video player, a handheld gaming device, or a control panel.

The conductive object in this case is a finger, alternatively, this technique may be applied to any conductive object, for example, a conductive door switch, position sensor, or conductive pen in a stylus tracking system.

Although the foregoing examples have been described in some detail for purposes of clarity of understanding, the invention is not limited to the details provided. There are many alternative ways of implementing the invention. The disclosed examples are illustrative and not restrictive.

Thus, in one embodiment, a method for operating a capacitance sensing device is provided. A capacitive profile of an object proximate to the capacitance sensing device is detected. The capacitive profile includes first capacitance portions and second capacitance portions. At least one of the second capacitance portions is between two of the first capacitance portions. A capacitance value of the first capacitance portions is greater than a capacitance value of the second capacitance portions. Data associated with the object is determined based on the capacitive profile of the object.

In another embodiment, a capacitance sensing device is provided. The capacitance sensing device includes an array of capacitive sensor elements and a processing device coupled to the array of capacitive sensor elements. The processing device is configured to detect a capacitive profile of an object proximate to the array of capacitive sensor elements. The capacitive profile includes first capacitance portions and second capacitance portions. At least one of the second capacitance portions is between two of the first capacitance portions. A capacitance value of the first capacitance portions is greater than a capacitance value of the second capacitance portions. The processing device is also configured to determine data associated with the object based on the capacitive profile of the object.

In a further embodiment, a capacitance sensing device is provided. The capacitance sensing device includes an array of capacitive sensor elements and a controller coupled to the array of a capacitive sensor elements. The controller is configured to detect a capacitive profile of an object proximate to the array of capacitive sensor elements. The capacitive profile includes first capacitance portions and second capacitance portions. At least one of the second capacitance portions is between two of the first capacitance portions. A capacitance value of the first capacitance portions is greater than a capacitance value of the second capacitance portions. The controller is also configured to determine data associated with the object based on the capacitive profile of the object. The controller is further configured to at least one of provide signals to the array of capacitive sensor elements such that the array of capacitive sensor elements transmit modulated signals and demodulate modulated signals received from the array of capacitive sensor elements.

Although the foregoing examples have been described in some detail for purposes of clarity of understanding, the invention is not limited to the details provided. There are many alternative ways of implementing the invention. The disclosed examples are illustrative and not restrictive. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for operating a capacitance sensing device comprising: detecting a capacitive profile of an object proximate to the capacitance sensing device, the capacitive profile comprising first capacitance portions and second capacitance portions, wherein at least one of the second capacitance portions is between two of the first capacitance portions, a capacitance value of the first capacitance portions being greater than a capacitance value of the second capacitance portions; and determining data associated with the object based on the capacitive profile of the object.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the capacitance sensing device comprises an array of capacitive sensors, and the detecting of the capacitive profile of the object comprises scanning an array of capacitive sensors.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the scanning of the array of capacitance sensors comprises: performing a first scan of the array of capacitive sensors at a first resolution; and performing a second scan of the array of capacitive sensors at a second resolution.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the performing of the first scan of the array of capacitive sensors comprises scanning a first portion of the array of capacitive sensors, and the performing of the second scan of the array of capacitive sensors comprises scanning a second portion of the array of capacitive sensors.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second portion of the array of capacitive sensors is smaller than the first portion of the array of capacitive sensors.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein a first of the second capacitance regions is positioned between two of the first capacitance portions along a first axis, and a second of the second capacitance regions is positioned between two of the first capacitance portions along a second axis, the second axis being perpendicular to the first axis.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first capacitance portions have varying capacitance values.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the data associated with the object comprises a plurality of bits of data.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first capacitance portions of the capacitive profile are each in the shape of a symbol, jointly form a pattern, or a combination thereof.
 10. The method of claim 2, wherein the detecting of the capacitive profile of the object comprises: detecting the capacitance value of one of the two first capacitance portions of the capacitive profile with a first portion of the capacitance sensing array; detecting the capacitance value of the other of the two first capacitance portions of the capacitive profile with a second portion of the capacitance sensing array; and detecting the capacitance value of the at least one of the second capacitance portions of the capacitive profile with a third portion of the capacitance sensing array, wherein third portion of the capacitance sensing array is between the first and second portions of the capacitance sensing array.
 11. A capacitance sensing device comprising: an array of capacitive sensor elements; and a processing device coupled to the array of capacitive sensor elements, wherein the processing device is configured to: detect a capacitive profile of an object proximate to the array of capacitive sensor elements, the capacitive profile comprising first capacitance portions and second capacitance portions, wherein at least one of the second capacitance portions is between two of the first capacitance portions, a capacitance value of the first capacitance portions being greater than a capacitance value of the second capacitance portions; and determine data associated with the object based on the capacitive profile of the object.
 12. The capacitance sensing device of claim 11, wherein the processing device is configured such that the detecting of the capacitive profile of the object comprises scanning an array of capacitive sensors, and wherein the scanning of the array of capacitance sensors comprises: performing a first scan of the array of capacitive sensors at a first resolution; and performing a second scan of the array of capacitive sensors at a second resolution.
 13. The capacitance sensing device of claim 12, wherein the performing of the first scan of the array of capacitive sensors comprises scanning a first portion of the array of capacitive sensors, and the performing of the second scan of the array of capacitive sensors comprises scanning a second portion of the array of capacitive sensors.
 14. The capacitance sensing device of claim 13, wherein the second portion of the array of capacitive sensors is smaller than the first portion of the array of capacitive sensors, and wherein the second portion of the array of capacitive sensors at least partially overlaps the first portion of the array of capacitive sensors.
 15. The capacitance sensing device of claim 11, wherein the capacitance sensing device comprises a memory, and wherein the determining of the data associated with the object comprises retrieving the data from the memory based on the capacitive profile of the object.
 16. A capacitance sensing device comprising: an array of capacitive sensor elements; and a controller coupled to the array of a capacitive sensor elements, the controller being configured to: detect a capacitive profile of an object proximate to the array of capacitive sensor elements, the capacitive profile comprising first capacitance portions and second capacitance portions, wherein at least one of the second capacitance portions is between two of the first capacitance portions, a capacitance value of the first capacitance portions being greater than a capacitance value of the second capacitance portions; and determine data associated with the object based on the capacitive profile of the object, and wherein the controller is further configured to at least one of: provide signals to the array of capacitive sensor elements such that the array of capacitive sensor elements transmit modulated signals ; and demodulate modulated signals received from the array of capacitive sensor elements.
 17. The capacitance sensing device of claim 16, wherein the controller is configured to at least one of transmit and receive Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter (UART) serial data through the array of capacitive sensor elements.
 18. The capacitance sensing device of claim 16, wherein the controller is configured to provide the signals to the array of capacitance sensor elements in response detecting a predetermined capacitance profile of the object.
 19. The capacitance sensing device of claim 16, wherein the array of capacitive sensor elements are at least partially transparent.
 20. The capacitance sensing device of claim 16, further comprising a display device coupled to the array of capacitive sensor elements. 